OLD CHRISTOVAL'S ADVICE, So, on a dark night, I took my flight, AND THE REASON WHY HE GAVE IT. And stole like a thief away; It happen'd that by St. Andrew's Church As I past the Church door, I thought how I swore That the Saint was so near increased my fear, So all night long I hurried on, Pacing full many a mile, Recibió un Cavallero, paraque cultivasse sus tierras, a torum. "IF thy debtor be poor," old Christoval said, For he who preserves a poor man from want Weary I was, yet safe, I thought; I had, I found, been running round And for pardon devoutly I pray'd; "I have been idle, good Master," said I, "If thou hast been idle," Henrique replied, "Henceforth thy fault amend! I will not oppress thee, Christoval, And the Saint may thy labour befriend." Homeward I went a penitent, And from that day I idled no more; St. Isidro bless'd my industry, As he punish'd my sloth before. "When my debtor was poor," old Christoval said, "I have never exacted my due; But remembering my master was good to me, Two hideous horns on his head he had got, "What wouldst thou with me?" the Wicked One cried, But not a word the young man replied; "What wouldst thou with me?" cried the Author of ill; But the wretched young man was silent still; "When my neighbour hath sinn'd," old Christo. And his marrow seem'd to be melting away. val said, "I judged not too hardly his sin, But thought of the night by St. Andrew's Church, And consider'd what I might have been." Westbury, 1798. CORNELIUS AGRIPPA; A BALLAD, OF A YOUNG MAN THAT WOULD READ UNLAWFUL BOOKS, AND HOW HE WAS PUNISHED. VERY PITHY AND PROFITABLE. CORNELIUS AGRIPPA went out one day; "And if any one ask my Study to see, I charge you to trust them not with the key; There lived a young man in the house, who in vain Access to that Study had sought to obtain; On the Study-table a book there lay, And these horrible leaves of magic between The young man he began to read He knew not what; but he would proceed, And more and more the knocking grew; Till the door was broke, and the Devil came in. KING CHARLEMAIN. François Petrarque, fort renomme entre les Poëtes Italiens, discourant en un epistre son voyage de France et de l'Allemaigne, nous raconte que passant par la ville d'Aix, il apprit de quelques Prestres une histoire prodigeuse qu'ils tenoient de main en main pour tres veritable. Qui estoit que Charles le Grand, apres avoir conquesté plusieurs pays, s'esperdit de telle façon en l'amour d'une simple femme, que mettant tout honneur et reputation en arriere, il oublia non seulement les affaires de son royaume, mais aussi le soing de sa propre personne, au grand desplaisir de chacun ; estant seulement ententif à courtiser ceste dame: laquelle par bonheur commenca à s'aliter d'une grosse maladie, qui lui apporta la mort. Dont les Princes et grands Seigneurs furent fort rejouis, esperans que par ceste mort, Charles reprendroit comme devant et ses esprits et les affaires du royaume en main: toutesfois il se trouva tellement infatué de ceste amour, qu' encores cherissoit-il ce cadaver, l'embrassant, baisant, accolant de la meme façon que devant, et au lieu de prester l'oreille aux legations qui luy survenoient, il l'entretenoit de mille bayes, comme s'elle eust esté pleine de vie. Ce corps commençoit deja non seulement à mal sentir, mais aussi se tournoit en putrefaction, et neantmoins n'y avoit aucun de ses favoris qui luy en osast parler; dont advint que l'Archevesque Turpin mieux advisé que les autres, pourpensa que telle chose ne pouvoit estre advenue sans quelque sorcellerie. Au moyen dequoy espiant un jour l'heure que le Roy s'estoit absenté de la chambre, commença de fouiller le corps de toutes parts, finalement trouva dans sa bouche au dessous de sa langue un anneau qu'il luy osta. Le jour mesme Charlemaigne retournant sur ses premieres brisees, se trouva fort estonne de voir une carcasse ainsi puante. Parquoy, comme s'il se fust resveillé d'un profond sommeil, commanda que l'on l'ensevelist promptement. Ce qui fut fait; mais en contr' eschange de ceste folie, il tourna tous ses pensemens vers l'Archevesque porteur de cest anneau, ne pouvant estre de là en avant sans luy, et le suivant en tous les endroits. Quoy voyant ce sage Prelat, et craignant que cest anneau ne tombast en mains de quelque autre, le jetta dans un lac prochain de la ville. Depuis lequel temps on dit que ce Roy se trouve si espris de l'amour du lieu, qu'il ne se desempara de la ville d'Aix, où il bastit un Palais, et un Monastere, en l'un desquels il parfit le reste de ses jours, et en l'autre voulut estre ensevely, ordonnant par son testament que tous les Empereurs de Rome The physicians to counsel together repair, That his senses are bound by a spell. 8. Then, with relics protected, and confident grown, The good old Archbishop, when this was made Steals in when he hears that the corpse is alone, 9. eussent à se faire sacrer premierement en ce lieu. He searches with care, though with tremulous PASQUIER. Recherches de la France. L. 6, C. 33. This very learned author has strangely mistaken Aix in Savoy, the real scene of the legend, for Aix-laChapelle. The ruins of a building said to have been Charlemain's palace are still to be seen on the Lake of Bourget. haste, For the spell that bewitches the king; 10. Rejoicing he seized it, and hasten'd away; Ir was strange that he loved her, for youth was The enchantment was ended, and, suddenly gay, gone by, And the bloom of her beauty was fled: 'Twas the glance of the harlot that gleam'd in her eye, And all but the Monarch could plainly descry 2. Yet he thought with Agatha none might compare, 3. The soldier, the statesman, the courtier, the maid, And the good old Archbishop, who ceased to up- He bade the attendants no longer delay, 11. Now merriment, joyance, and feasting again And now by his heralds did King Charlemain 12. And anxiously now for the festival day 13. Oh! happy the Damsel who, 'mid her compeers, Shook his gray head in sorrow, and silently pray'd Now glowing with hopes, and now fever'd with 17. "Oh come where the feast, and the dance, and the song, Invite thee to mirth and to love; Or at this happy moment, away from the throng, To the shade of yon wood let us hasten along,The moon never pierces that grove." 18. As thus by new madness the King seem'd possess'd, In new wonder the Archbishop heard ;` Then Charlemain warmly and eagerly press'd The good old man's poor, wither'd hand to his breast, And kiss'd his long, gray, grizzle beard. 19. Let us well, then, these fortunate moments employ !" Cried the Monarch with passionate tone; "Come away then, dear charmer,-my angel,— my joy, Nay, struggle not now,-'tis in vain to be coy,And remember that we are alone." 20. Blessed Mary, protect me!" the Archbishop cried; "What madness has come to the King!" 21. Overjoy'd, the good prelate remember'd the spell, And far in the lake flung the ring; The waters closed round it, and wondrous to tell, Released from the cursed enchantment of hell, His reason return'd to the King. 22. But he built him a palace there close by the bay, And there did he love to remain ; And the traveller who will, may behold at this day Of the spell that possess'd Charlemain. ST. ROMUALD. Les Catalans ayant appris que S. Romuald vouloit quitter leurs pays, en furent très-affligés ; ils deliberèrent sur les moyens de l'en empêcher, et le seul qu'ils imaginèrent comme le plus sûr, fut de le tuer, afin de profiter du moins de ses reliques et des guerisons et autres miracles qu'elles opéreroient après sa mort. La dévotion que les Catalans avoient pour lui, ne plut point du tout à S. Romuald; il usa de stratagème et leur échappa.-ST. Foix, Essais Historiques sur Paris.-T. 5, p. 163. St. Foix, who is often more amusing than trustworthy, has fathered this story upon the Spaniards, though it belongs to his own countrymen, the circumstances having happened when Romuald was a monk of the Convent of St. Michael's, in Aquitane. It is thus related by Yepes: En esta ocasion sucedio una cosa bien extraordinaria, porque los naturales de la tierra donde estava el monasterio de San Miguel, estimavan en tanto a San Romoaldo, que faltandoles la paciencia de que se quisiesse yr, dieron en un terrible disparate, a quien llama muy bien San Pedro Damiano Impia Pietas, piedad cruel: porque queriendose yr San Romoaldo, determinaron de matarle, para que ya que no le podian tener en su tierra vivo, alomenos gozassen de sus reliquias y cuerpo santo. Supo San Romoaldo la determinacion bestial y indiscreta de aquella gente: y tomo una prudente resolucion, porque imitando a David, que fingio que estava loco, por no caer en manos de sus enemigos, assi San Romoaldo se hizo raer la cabeca, y con algunos ademanes, y palabras mal concertadas que dezia, le tuvieron por hombre que le avia faltado el juyzio, con que se asseguraron los naturales de la tierra que ya perpetuamente le tendrian en ella y con semejante estratagema y traça tuvo lugar San Romoaldo de hurtarse, y a cencerros topados (como dizen) huyr de aquella tierra, y llegar a Italia a la ciudad de Ravena.-Coronica General de la Orden de San Benito.-T. 5, ff. 274. Villegas in his Flos Sanctorum, (February 7th,) records some of St. Romuald's achievements against the Devil and his imps. He records also the other virtues of the Saint, as specified in the poem. They are more fully stated by Yepes.-Tenia tres cilicios, los quales mudava de treynta en treynta dias: no los labava, sino ponialos al ayre, y à la agua que llovia, con que se matavan algunas immundicias, que se criavan en ellos.-f. 298. Quando alguna vez era tentado de la gula, y desseava comer de algun manjar, tomovale en las manos, miravale, oliale, y despues que estava despierto el apetito, dezia, O gula, gula, quan dulce y suave te parece este manjar! pero no te ha de entrer en provecho! y entonces se mortificava, y le dexava, y le embiava entero, o al silleriço, o a los pobres. There is a free translation of this poem, by Bilderdik, in the second volume of his Krekelzangen, p. 113. ONE day, it matters not to know A Frenchman stopp'd at an inn door; For he had seen the Traveller there before. "Doth holy Romuald dwell The Traveller ask'd, "or is the old man dead?" "Ah, sir, we knew his worth! If ever there did live a Saint on earth!Why, Sir, he always used to wear a shirt For thirty days, all seasons, day and night: Good man, he knew it was not right For Dust and Ashes to fall out with Dirt; And then he only hung it out in the rain, And put it on again. "There has been perilous work With him and the Devil there in yonder cell; From sunset until morn, He with a cross, the Devil with his horn; The Devil spitting fire, with might and main, And the hot vapour fill'd the smoking cell. "Then, Sir! to see how he would mortify You would be gormandizing now, I know; Home to your bread and water-home, I tell ye!'" A flock that knew his saintly worth so well?" To do him a great honour; and, you know, "What might this honour be?" the Traveller cried. "Why, Sir," the host replied, The Abbot of Aberbrothok When the Rock was hid by the surge's swell, His eye was on the Inchcape float; "We thought perhaps that he might one day The boat is lower'd, the boatmen row, leave us; And then should strangers have The good man's grave, A loss like that would naturally grieve us; And so we meant to strangle him one night." THE INCHCAPE ROCK. And to the Inchcape Rock they go; And he cut the Bell from the Inchcape float. Down sunk the bell with a gurgling sound; Won't bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok." Sir Ralph the Rover sail'd away; On the deck the Rover takes his stand; An old writer mentions a curious tradition which may be worth quoting. "By east the Isle of May," says he, "twelve miles from all land in the German seas, lyes a great hidden rock, called Inchcape, very dangerous for navigators, because it is overflowed everie tide. It is reported, in old times, upon the saide rock there was a bell, fixed upon a tree or timber, which rang continually, being moved by the sea, giving notice to the saylers of the danger. This bell or clocke was put there and maintained by the Abbot of Aberbrothok, and being taken down by a sea pirate, a "Canst hear," said one, the breakers roar? yeare thereafter he perished upon the same rocke, For methinks we should be near the shore." with ship and goodes, in the righteous judgement of Now where we are I cannot tell, God." STODDARD's Remarks on Scotland. No stir in the air, no stir in the sea, Without either sign or sound of their shock, 64 But I wish I could hear the Inchcape Bell." They hear no sound; the swell is strong; Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair; |